Cook the Book: Ultimate Sriracha Burger

The Ultimate Sriracha Burger from The Sriracha Cookbook is a mouthful. It begins with a grilled patty infused with Sriracha and soy, and is topped with a towering pile of bacon caramelized onions, Swiss cheese, tomato, arugula, bacon, and an improbably delicious blue cheese-Sriracha dressing.

On paper this burger might seem like it has all of the makings for a too much going on overload but once it comes together, it totally works. Somehow the patty stays beefy even after a good-sized dose of Sriracha and soy, and if you choose to grill it the flavors become even more pronounced in the charred exterior. The blue cheese-Sriracha acts as an amped up secret sauce, tart and creamy with a little bit of spice. And the onions caramelized in bacon fat? Well, that's just brilliant no matter how you slice it. The rest of the burger toppings play harmoniously—peppery arugula, juicy tomato, and mild, nutty melted Swiss.

If you plan on serving these Ultimate Sriracha Burgers for your Super Bowl party, I have a feeling that they would translate beautifully into sliders, perhaps making them a little more manageable by getting rid of the tomato and arugula but hanging on to the onions, bacon, Swiss, and special sauce.

Procedures

1

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, soy sauce, 5 tablespoons of the Sriracha, and the pepper. Do not overmix. Form the mixture into 8 patties, and set aside, on a parchment-lined baking sheet, covered, in the refrigerator.

2

Preheat a charcoal or gas grill to medium high heat.

3

In a medium frying pan over medium-low heat, cook the bacon, turning as necessary. While the bacon is cooking, peel and quarter the onions. Cut each section into 1/4-inch slices. Once the bacon is cooked through and slightly crispy, remove the slices from the pan, cut each in half crosswise, and drain onto paper towels, reserving the remaining bacon fat in the pan. Cook the sliced onions in the bacon fat over medium-low heat until they caramelize, 20 to 25 minutes.

4

Grill the burgers, turning once, 4 to 41/2 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer registers 130° to 135°F for medium-rare.

5

While the burgers are cooking, in a small bowl, combine the blue cheese dressing with the remaining 5 tablespoons Sriracha. Lightly toast the buns on the grill during the last minute of cooking time.

6

To assemble, spread the blue cheese mixture on both halves of each hamburger bun. Stack a burger patty, Swiss cheese slice, bacon, caramelized onions, tomato slice, and a small handful of arugula between each hamburger bun.

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